Visiting Scholar
Ian Kelly
Roberta Buffett Visiting Professor of International Studies in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
Visiting Fall Quarter 2026
Ian Kelly is serving as the Roberta Buffett Visiting Professor in International Studies in fall 2025. Ambassador Kelly has served as Ambassador (ret.) in Residence at Northwestern and a member of the International Studies Program since 2018. A retired senior Foreign Service officer, Kelly served as US Ambassador to Georgia from 2015 to 2018 and as U.S. Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) from 2010 to 2013. He previously held senior roles at the U.S. Department of State, including Department Spokesman under Secretary Hillary Clinton and Director of the Office of Russian Affairs. Before his diplomatic service, he earned a PhD in Slavic Languages and Literatures from Columbia University. At Northwestern, Kelly currently teaches courses on Foreign Aid and U.S. Foreign Policy. In fall quarter, he is teaching a course called "Fall of USSR / Rise of Russia."
Maria Lipman
Roberta Buffett Visiting Professor of International Studies in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences
Visiting Winter Quarter 2026
Maria Lipman will serve as the Roberta Buffett Visiting Professor in International Studies in winter 2026. Lipman is a political analyst and commentator whose work focuses on state‑society relations, media, and the politics of history in Russia. Her recent publications in Foreign Affairs include co‑authored articles such as “The Limits of Putin’s Balancing Act: What the Kremlin Will Sacrifice in Pursuit of Victory in Ukraine” and “Exiles Cannot Save Russia: But the West Can Learn From—and Should Support—Those Who Fled Putin” as well as “Forever Putinism: The Russian Autocrat’s Answer to the Problem of Succession.” Lipman has served as editor or deputy editor of various Russian‑ and English‑language publications over the past three decades. From 2003 to 2014, she was an associate at the Carnegie Moscow Center, where she edited the journal Pro et Contra. She is a frequent commentator in international broadcast media and has written extensively on Russian affairs for both Russian and U.S. outlets, including The Washington Post (2001–2011) and The New Yorker online (2012–2017). Lipman taught courses on contemporary Russia at Indiana University (Bloomington) and Grinnell College (Iowa) from 2017–2019.